Farms of the Future
[1] Skyscrapers are the ultimate symbol of urban life. City dwellers are used to seeing tall office buildings, multistory five stars hotels, and apartment towers with thousands of residents. Farms, on the other hand, are associated with rural life. However there are experts who think that some skyscrapers should become farms in order to meet the increasing food needs of our planet.
[2] By 2050 some social scientist suggest, almost 80 percent of the earth’s population could live in cities. In addition, the human population could increase to 9.1 billion people during that time yet the amount of land available for farming will be the same. If current farming practices don’t change by the middle of this century, one prominent expert claims, we will need an area of new and larger than Brazil to produce enough food for the planet.
[3] Vertical farms, where urban farmers could grow crops like wheat and rice in environmentally friendly skyscrapers, could be the solution. In spite of concerns over high costs, environmental health experts want to make these urban farms a reality and these skyscrapers to grow crops. They believe that we can increase food production by changing our thinking from out to up.
[4] Vertical farms would have many advantages, supporters say. Vertically grown food would be cultivated with minimal effects on the environment. Unlike traditional farming, vertical farming would not force animals out of their habitats but taking over large areas of land, nor would it pollute the air with the use of heavy farming equipment. Finally, in addition to creating more farmable land, vertical farms would reduce the cost and negative effects of transporting food over long distances.
[5] Growing prosperity around the world has led to many people demanding and expecting that all foods are available all year round. Indoor farming could produce crops constantly and crops would not suffer from weather-related problems like drought or flooiding. In addition, the use of chemical pesticides for controlling insects would be minimal.
[6] Critics of vertical farming point out that altough crops groung in ga tall glass building would get natural sunlight during the day, it wouldn’t be enough. The plants closest to the windoes would grow much more quickly than the plants further inside. The plans growing awa from the windows may not produce as many or as high quality vegetables. For these reasons, vertical farms would need additional light sources.
[7] Researchers have found that even in single-story greenhhouses, artificial light is often needed for year-round crops. For example, Thanet Earth is a large indoor farming complex in the United Kingdom that oroduces 15 percent of the british lettuce crop. During the winter, the complex uses artificial light for 15 hours a day. Experts have concluded that generating enough solar energy requires an area about 20 times larger than the planting area. Therefore, natural light cannot e a workable solution for vertical farms.
[8] Another way of growing fresh food year-round is to build urban farms on rooftops. This more practical approach may be more achievable than the ide of farms in glass skyscrappers, researchers suggest. Howeverm rooftop farming is expensive, and unless people want to pay more fro fresh, local food, the technique may not succeed in the marketplace.
[9] Experts agree that innovative farming ractices are needed to support the planet’s need for more an more food at affordabke costs, both to the farmer and to the consumer, vertical and rooftop farms may be a small-scale answer, but the best ideas could be yet to come